• Model respect for and interest in the new student's culture and home language
• Set the student at ease by learning a few phrases in her home language such as "hello," "good morning" or even "I don't know"
• Assign a peer buddy to ease the transition phase
• Learn the student's name and correct pronunciation, and teach it to the class. Don't Anglicize names; for example, don't turn "Pedro" into "Peter"
• Label classroom objects in both English & your ELL's home language & if you use a Word Wall, use both languages
Find opportunities for your ELL student to share something about her native country: a tradition, a favorite food, an everyday object or a folk tale. Be sure to make it a classroom event: native English speakers can choose an ancestral country to share about.
• Word of the Day: Encourage ELLs to teach you and other students their language by inviting them to teach the "Word of the day" in their native language
• Use storybooks, text or video clips that incorporate words and phrases from a student's L1 to help fellow students learn a little about their language and culture.
• Give ELLs a chance to work with peers through cooperative learning. This offers opportunities to practice English with a small group of students rather than speaking in front of the whole class. It also provides a more natural way to learn to listen, speak, read and write in English as they are actively engaged in problem- solving activities.
• Your new ELL student may smile and nod but this doesn't mean she understands what you are saying. Offer help on a one-on-one, individual basis and make sure she understands. Seat her near you to make sure she doesn't get lost in the shuffle.
• Use environmental print that reflects the student's L1
• Invite parents of bilingual ELLs to participate in classroom events by teaching songs in their first language or by demonstrating crafts, cooking or other skills. For secondary school classrooms, parents could come speak to students about an area of expertise that pertains to a current topic students are studying.
• Explore a variety of cultures through lessons on multicultural folk tales. Encourage all the students in your classroom to share favorite folk tales from their home country or family. Folktales are a great tool because: (1) many versions are available to tailor the lesson to various reading levels and age groups (2) the tales are brief, allowing you to select several tales to study and explore several cultures (3) you can choose from many options to reflect the backgrounds of students in your class; (4) they may be used for development of language and writing and research skills (5) several of the same tales are told in different countries around the world, reflecting the fact that different cultures share many of the same themes and values. For a printable lesson plan on multicultural folk tales, click on: multicultural folk tales lessons.pdf
• Provide bilingual books for students to read at school or take home to read with their parents. There's a great list at:
Learn about world cultures and subcultures in the US and around the world. Excellent Resources:
Flaitz, J. (Ed.). (2008). Understanding your international students. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press.
Every culture. com has extensive information about world cultures: http://www.everyculture.com/
LEARNING ABOUT EACH OTHER
• Model respect for and interest in the new student's culture and home language• Set the student at ease by learning a few phrases in her home language such as "hello," "good morning" or even "I don't know"
• Assign a peer buddy to ease the transition phase
• Learn the student's name and correct pronunciation, and teach it to the class. Don't Anglicize names; for example, don't turn "Pedro" into "Peter"
• Label classroom objects in both English & your ELL's home language & if you use a Word Wall, use both languages
• Use storybooks, text or video clips that incorporate words and phrases from a student's L1 to help fellow students learn a little about their language and culture.
• Give ELLs a chance to work with peers through cooperative learning. This offers opportunities to practice English with a small group of students rather than speaking in front of the whole class. It also provides a more natural way to learn to listen, speak, read and write in English as they are actively engaged in problem- solving activities.
• Your new ELL student may smile and nod but this doesn't mean she understands what you are saying. Offer help on a one-on-one, individual basis and make sure she understands. Seat her near you to make sure she doesn't get lost in the shuffle.
• Use environmental print that reflects the student's L1
• Invite parents of bilingual ELLs to participate in classroom events by teaching songs in their first language or by demonstrating crafts, cooking or other skills. For secondary school classrooms, parents could come speak to students about an area of expertise that pertains to a current topic students are studying.
• Explore a variety of cultures through lessons on multicultural folk tales. Encourage all the students in your classroom to share favorite folk tales from their home country or family. Folktales are a great tool because: (1) many versions are available to tailor the lesson to various reading levels and age groups (2) the tales are brief, allowing you to select several tales to study and explore several cultures (3) you can choose from many options to reflect the backgrounds of students in your class; (4) they may be used for development of language and writing and research skills (5) several of the same tales are told in different countries around the world, reflecting the fact that different cultures share many of the same themes and values. For a printable lesson plan on multicultural folk tales, click on: multicultural folk tales lessons.pdf
• Provide bilingual books for students to read at school or take home to read with their parents. There's a great list at:
http://www.colorincolorado.org/read/forkids/celebrate/Learn about world cultures and subcultures in the US and around the world. Excellent Resources:
Flaitz, J. (Ed.). (2008). Understanding your international students. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press.Every culture. com has extensive information about world cultures: http://www.everyculture.com/
Sources: Freeman & Freeman, 2001. Between Worlds: Access to Second Language Acquisition.
Allen, J., 2007. Creating Welcoming Schools.
http://www.colorincolorado.org/educators/reachingout/welcoming/
http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid61485783001?bckey=AQ~~,AAAAAFwNJhQ~,2UA9EcWU7ePGeIdbqtVyVPBCqxm0mOQO&bclid=32496159001&bctid=32524079001